Julia Child’s Kitchen Exhibition at the Smithsonian Closes This Weekend

According to the Washington Post, the kitchen of famed Mastering the Art of French Cooking author and original TV cooking personality Julia Child, which has been on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History since 2002, will begin to be dismantled on Sunday. The popularity of the exhibition, called “Bon Appetit! Julia Child’s Kitchen at the Smithsonian,” surprised museum curators. Paula Johnson told the Post that she was aware that many people “make pilgrimages” to see where the affable chef urged nascent home cooks to “never apologize” for slipups in the kitchen.

“We were really surprised at seeing how many people had personal stories about watching her shows and trying her recipes,” Johnson says. “People are so engaged by her, and continue to be ... . She just connects with people on a very comfortable level, and we’re very glad with that."

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If, like me, you only just got your weighty copy of Mastering and have yet to pay homage, don’t fret—according to Johnson, the museum is planning a large exhibition for the summer about the evolution of post-WWII American food culture that will reincorporate the over 1,200 objects of Child’s kitchen.

J. Bryan Lowder is a Slate associate editor and the editor of Outward. He covers life, culture, and LGBTQ issues.